Terrible Tuesday
by Blackwolf-20
Summary: An incident results in Rick and Carl switching bodies at a time when both are struggling in their father and son relationship. Now both will have a moment to walk in the other's shoes where Carl must take the lead to protect the group against certain threats and Rick sits in the background while trying to watch over his son, until they can figure out how to switch back.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead**

 **Just coming off of writing my other first 'Walking Dead' fic and had this idea for another science fiction twist. I'll be taking my time with it, updating when possible. I have some other writing going on, but I felt compelled to go ahead and start this with the new season of 'Walking Dead' on the air and because I'm in 'TWD' mode now.**

Chapter 1: "You Don't Understand"

Rick stole a glance at his son in the seat next to him. His face was set and he was staring straight ahead of himself. Silence was wedged between them and Rick didn't know what to do about it. He cursed himself for not seeing that he had been slipping away slowly. The others had seen it. They'd warned him, but he didn't want to believe it. But now he had. It had been the reason he brought him along for a supply run; an attempt to rebuild and wash away the damage.

So far the damage remained.

Carl sighed and looked out the window and Rick decided he'd had enough of the silence.

"Listen, we've got a long way til we get back to the prison. Good time for us to talk."

"What's there to talk about?" Carl asked bitterly.

"I think there's plenty."

"Like what?"

Rick was not fond of the snappy attitude, but he held back his tongue.

"Like you." He looked at Carl again, and saw he was looking down. "I know you might not be happy about some of the decisions I've made, the things that've happened. So, when you have a problem, I think it would benefit us both if we discussed it."

"We have," Carl suddenly cried, sounding almost venomous. "I told you, you shouldn't be the leader anymore. You can't do it."

"Carl."

"You can't take care of us!" he cried as the anger erupted. "You can't keep us safe!"

"I'm doing what's best for us, to keep us safe," Rick tried calmly, while biting back the despair that was trying to rise. He would not believe it was impossible to repair their relationship. "It's no easy task."

"It's pretty simple enough," he argued. "Like now, with the Governor. You don't want to go and kill him. Do you really think he'll leave us alone?"

"We have a whole group to look after," Rick shot back as his own anger began to rise, "and charging them off like soldiers to track him down is suicide."

"Doing nothing is suicide!" he yelled. "You don't know what you're doing. If you did, Axel and Oscar would still be alive."

"Carl."

"Judith wouldn't have nearly gotten bitten!"

"Carl."

"Mom would be alive!"

Rick faced him dead on, anger twisting his face.

"Carl you don't understand!"

"NO YOU DON'T!"

They practically stared daggers at each other, before Carl turned his eyes away and his expression switched to panic.

"DAD!"

Rick barely had a chance to react to the large black SUV that was barreling straight towards them. He jerked the wheel right and the car swerved off the road, through the fence of a bridge he hadn't even realized they were crossing.

The car rolled downward, toward a few straggling walkers, which irked the car's motion even more.

"Hold on!" Rick shouted, as the car bounced and he lost control of the car.

Blood and guts splattered his field of vision as the car ripped through the corpses.

"DAD!"

Rick couldn't see. And before he could answer, the car came to a violent stop as it struck something solid. Then Rick's head came forward across the steering wheel and darkness came instantly.

Rick groaned softly. His turned his head slightly but even such a small motion sent what felt like anvils raining down on his skull and a slight wave a pain running down his back. He grimaced and slowly opened his eyes. He was looking straight up at the sky. He could feel grass under himself.

Slowly his brain pieced together the scene of a black SUV coming his way. He recalled swerving out of the way, only to end up crashing through a bridge.

Slowly he raised a hand to his temple and just tried to breathe away the dazed feeling. Then he blinked a few times and remembered someone very important was in the seat next to him at the time of his accident.

He pushed himself up just as he cried "Carl" and immediately froze afterwards.

He grabbed his throat, confused. Somehow, his voice had changed. It had come out much younger, much unlike himself. But before he could test it further, his eyes fell downward. As his nerves stopped stinging, he felt that something was wrong before he fully registered it.

Upon looking down at his body, he saw he wasn't wearing the beige sheriff like shirt he usually wore. He was wearing a white shirt with some off rocker band name; his son's shirt. He sported light jeans, when he knew he was wearing dark pants. And as baffling as it was to awaken in his son's clothing, which seemed to fit comfortably, he saw something even more unusual.

From his position on the ground, he could see a clear difference in proportion. Rick started to pale without understanding. He tried to form words as he raised his hands up for inspection.

They were not his hands. They were smaller and softer instead of hard. Slowly he pressed those hands against his cheeks and in frenzy began feeling his face.

This wasn't his face!

There was no feeling of a rugged exterior with a growing beard. It was rounder rather than long. And his hair, looser and falling above his eyes.

His breath caught in his throat as he hurried to his feet, stumbling slightly. He just barely managed to make it to the side view mirror of the car…and there…reflecting back at him, was the stunned face of his son - Carl.

 **Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm leaning towards how the show runs so maybe chapters will be short, cutting off where I imagine it might as a show.**

 **Anyways, Rick just woke up in Carl's body! I'll tell you originally I had this occurring back at the prison, but this way is easier especially since I'm writing as I go. I kind of took Carl's frustrations with his dad from the episode after the prison's destruction and introduced it earlier where they're still staying at the prison and I also incorporated the idea that the Governor attacked more brutally where perhaps a walker nearly got to Judith; all to push Carl to the edge sooner than later. So, little tweaks here and there where I base stuff from an episode is likely to occur in the story.**

 **I know what I want to happen in this story, so keep review and I'll update soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead**

 **Here's chapter 2. Rick has just woken up in his own son's body. What'll he do now? And what about Carl?**

Chapter 2: "What Happened to Us?"

Rick stumbled backwards in shock, unable to grasp it; unable to believe that he had somehow transformed into his own son. His breathing was coming in gasps as he continued to stare at his reflection from a distance.

"Carl." If he needed any more confirmation that he wasn't himself, it came from hearing his voice, which was that of his son's. "Carl…Car…C..c…"

His heart was racing.

He couldn't think properly.

He whirled about for some explanation for why this was happening, but all he saw was a walker pacing not too far away. Rick looked down at himself again, then stumbled around behind the car. He was not used to moving in a body so different from his own.

When the driver's side of the car came into view, he froze. It was an out-of-body experience as he stared at his real body slumped forward over the steering wheel. Rick couldn't stop staring as he feared the worst.

Maybe he was actually dead. Maybe instead of passing on like his wife, someone or something decided to stick him in his son's body as a way to live on. Rick stumbled back again feeling light-headed. If that was the case, then that meant that Carl was dead. His son was dead, and now he would be forced to live the rest of his life as his own offspring which was very unsettling.

But then a new thought occurred to him. Maybe he hadn't died. Maybe Carl was occupying his body.

As much as he was disturbed by the idea, he hoped it was the case.

He hurried over and wrenched the car door open. He experienced a moment's hesitation before he grabbed his own shoulder and pushed his body back against the seat. Rick took a brief moment to stare at the dead look on his face before he started shaking his shoulder.

"Carl! Carl! Wake up! Wake Up!" He cried, while feeling foolish and terrified of the thought of his son being in his body. "Please…Carl."

A familiar raspy growl caught his attention. It was coming from the lone walker who had taken notice of him and was heading his way.

"Carl," Rick gasped while he continued to shake the limp body.

He looked at the walker who was getting close, growling and ready to reach out for him. For the first time in a long time, Rick felt powerless. Here he was in an eleven year old's body. He barely registered the fact that Carl had been capable of handling walkers at this stage.

He looked at the limp body of himself, wanting it to spring up and take care of the walker for him whether it was Carl or not, while he continued to try and grasp the current supernatural phenomenon.

"Carl," he cried one last time, before he realized he wasn't coming. The walker was merely three feet away and closing in quickly, mouth opened ready to bite.

With the start of tears in his eyes, Rick turned away from the walker and released his grip on his own shoulder. He pulled the gun from the holster on his dead body and took aim just as the walker lunged.

The shot rang out and the walker fell at his feet. Rick was shaking now, feeling lost and utterly alone. He wondered why he couldn't have just ended up as that corpse rather than in the state he was in. He didn't know whether it was vulnerability or terror that had him at the point of choking back the urge to cry.

Then a new sound stole his attention. He turned sharply as he witnessed his own body stir and moan. He jumped back and raised the gun on himself, certain it had turned. The surreal-ness of it all was overwhelming. All he wanted was to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

The gun trembled in his hand. He did not want to do this. He could not. But then the body groaned and vocalized a single word.

"Dad."

Rick gasped and dropped the gun as his body started to come to life. It was the most fascinating and frightening thing he had ever seen. He stood like a statue, watching as his own hand reached up to his forehead. Without really looking, he moved a leg outside of the car and sat still for a moment.

Rick did nothing to break the moment. He was simply far too stunned. But when nothing happened for a while, be broke it quietly.

"Carl?"

And Rick forced himself not to step back as his own eyes settled upon him, widening in shock.

Carl's head was pounding. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so out of it. He ran a hand across his brow and turned in his seat, unaware of where he was, and not exactly caring at the moment.

He had unconsciously called out to his dad a moment ago, but somehow the action left him feeling dizzier. So he had to stop for a bit.

He didn't know what it was, but in-between the dazed feeling he was having, he felt something was very wrong. Something, somehow, was unnatural amongst the pain and the headache. And then he heard his own voice call his name. And there he stood—himself, gazing at himself in a mixture of horror, relief, and confusion.

He was at a loss for words.

He watched as the hallucination or impostor raised his hands as if in surrender.

"Carl," it said, "it's..it's okay…just…"

Carl didn't know what was going on. The only thing his mind registered was, 'Get the hell away from that thing!'

He quickly and shakily got to his feet, momentarily forgetting he was in a car. He slipped alongside it and fell to the ground.

"Carl, it's…"

But his attention wasn't on the figure anymore. Carl's gaze had fallen to his arms. A shock of panic struck him as he moved his gaze further down his body and noticed it looked an awful lot like his dad's.

"What the hell…what the hell!" He cried, while noticing for the first time that he even had his dad's voice. In his terror, he tried to jump back, forgetting he was on the ground and forgetting he was already against the car.

"Carl," Rick continued as he attempted to close the space between them.

"Get away from me!" he shouted.

"It's me, okay, it's me…it's dad." Carl stared at him, disbelievingly. "It's me…it's me."

"D-dad?"

Rick swallowed hard and nodded slowly. And for a moment they simply stared back at each other.

"D-dad…" Carl glanced down at himself then looked up at his own body, occupied by his father. "What happened? What happened to us?"

Rick moved forward slowly and dropped to his knees before his son, feeling sick and still very frightened.

"I…I don't know Carl…I don't know."

They resolved to stay still, staring at each other, as if waiting for the answer to suddenly appear.

 **I think I read that Carl was 13 during the prison stuff, but I wanted him younger, so like eleven maybe going on twelve. So now they're both aware of what's happened, and they'll have to figure out what to do next.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead**

 **Hope you're still reading and enjoying**

Chapter 3: "I can, be you"

Rick resolved to leaning against the back of the car, staring at the ground while Carl examined himself in the side door mirror. He kept running his hands down his cheeks as he stared in disbelief at his new reflection.

Neither had said a word since the panic had worn down a bit. Once Carl had managed to get to his feet, after stumbling slightly from unfamiliar legs, he couldn't stop seeing who he now was for himself.

"This is insane," he muttered.

Rick stayed silent. He didn't know how much time had passed since he'd been so wrapped up in the shock of a freaky occurrence. He looked up at the sky. The others would be wondering where they were.

He turned to Carl who was still stuck in the mirror, apparently testing out a few expressions to see if he really was in his body. He was still fascinated seeing his body apparently performing on its own in such a way.

"Carl." He swallowed thickly, still not used to using his son's voice. But Carl didn't turn around. "Carl."

Finally he looked around at him, and Rick was momentarily caught off guard.

"We need to get going."

"Going? Going where?"

Rick shifted uncomfortably upon hearing his own voice being thrown back at him by Carl but pressed on.

"Back to the prison."

"Like this? We can't go back there," he cried.

"Well we can't stay out here. It's not safe," Rick countered.

"I'm not going back there." Carl turned to lean over the car. Rick thought he looked ill and couldn't blame him. "Not like this."

"Carl." He stepped forward but he suddenly lashed out.

"We can't! Not until we change back."

"How can we? I don't even know how this happened, do you?"

They stared at each other for a moment before Carl dropped his head.

"No."

Rick looked away and tried to think of possible reasons for why this happened and if there was any clue to let him know when they would be normal again.

"I don't know how this happened either." He ran and hand through his hair and sighed. "Maybe…maybe somehow that car that hit us…it came out of nowhere, or maybe, just a freak accident."

"How could that car switch us?" Carl demanded. "Are you kidding me?"

"I don't have any better ideas about why, but I do know if we don't get back soon, we'll be in real trouble. And so will the others."

Rick was giving him his best stern expression, but he was certain it didn't make much of an impact on his son who was still quite disturbed.

"What do you expect?" Carl started. "We just walk in there and tell them we switched bodies? You really think they'll believe us? They'll lock us up in one of the cells."

"What did you have in mind?" Rick asked on the verge of becoming quite angry. "We go live off on our own and hope that whatever changed us in the first place changes us back? What about the others? What about Judith?"

Carl looked momentarily stunned as well as ashamed at his words. Then he slumped to the ground and covered his face. Rick hesitated before walking over to him.

"We have to go back. We can't just wait around. And you're right, they won't believe us, so, we'll keep it quiet."

Carl raised his head immediately.

"Dad, you're not saying…are you saying, we have to, be each other?"

Rick couldn't vocally confirm it. He shut his eyes, hoping some other answer would come to him, but it didn't.

"Looks that way."

"I can't…I can't be you," Carl argued as he worked his way up to his feet. He keep muttering it under his breath as he walked away, but Rick grabbed him by the arm.

"Stop! You're not the only dealing with this, alright. And I'll be right there. Til we can figure something out, that's the way it'll have to be. I won't leave Judith. I won't leave the others."

Carl seemed frozen by the words, so Rick let go. He didn't press further. He waited as calmly as he could for his son to come to terms with the new form of life they'd have to assume. Rick knew it wouldn't be so bad for himself, but Carl was a different story. He'd have the responsibility of being the group's leader. The others would expect him to take on any dangerous situations that came their way and make fast decisions.

"It's unfair to you, I know, but I'll be right there," Rick said quietly. "You can do this. But, if things get out of hand, I want you to back off." But then Rick thought of his late wife. They'd done so much to keep Carl safe, and now Rick was not liking the idea of Carl trying to become him for the others. "No…when you get back, I need you to step down. Hershel can lead until I can-"

"No," Carl said interrupted softly. "I can do it. I can, be you."

"Carl, you don't-"

"You said I can do this," he said as he turned around to face his dad.

Both were temporarily caught off guard by the stark difference in their heights now. Rick was not used to looking up at someone, least of all when that someone was his own kid in his own body. The feeling left him a bit disoriented. Carl on the other hand, found it to be a slightly pleasant change.

"Back on the farm, remember, you told me no more kid stuff."

"I think I might have said something a little different had I known this was going to happen."

"Dad."

Rick sighed.

"Alright. Just, don't get in over your head." He turned to the car and slipped into the driver's seat.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Rick looked at him with a curious expression.

"I'm taking us back."

"No, I'm taking us back," Carl declared as he folded his arms. "I'm Rick Grimes now remember. And you can't exactly see over the dashboard and reach the pedals good enough."

Rick sat back in his seat and realized he had a point.

"Dammit."

"Watch your language, Carl."

Rick shot a glare at his son's smug face.

"You watch yours. And don't be getting any ideas about what you can do in that body."

"Like what?" Carl asked, but Rick just frowned.

"Just get in," he said as he climbed out of the driver's seat and walked around to the passenger's side.

After they buckled up, they both sat still for a minute as the thought of what they were about to do sunk in even more. They looked at each other, automatically knowing the same thought and fear was on the other's mind.

"We'll just take it, a step at a time," Rick told him. "For now, put the car in reverse."

Slowly Carl turned the ignition. He felt a jolt of fear knowing he was really going to do this. But he did as his dad told him and shifted gears. He ended up hitting the gas a little harder than he needed to, giving both a big jolt before Carl hit the brakes.

"You're sure you don't want me to drive?" Rick asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Dad I got this," Rick countered. "It's just, driving. I've seen you and mom do it a million times."

"Yeah well, now you're doing it, much too early."

"Hey, I'm forty-two now," Carl answered slyly.

"Only in body. Now, take this seriously. Ease into it slow."

"I know I know," Carl said as he shifted the gear.

"I'd like to avoid any more accidents on the road thanks."

"It couldn't get worse than it has now."

Rick tossed him a look before falling silent and allowing Carl to ease his way back onto the road.

 **Rick and Carl are heading back. Will they be able to pull off acting like the other in front of the others? Keep reading and I'll update soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead**

Chapter 4: "We're not okay" 

Carl kept driving at a smooth pace, which Rick was pretty relieved about. Every once in a while he dropped instructions or advice about driving, and Carl took his words without retort. After a while they fell in silence as they knew they were nearing the prison.

Carl kept his eyes firmly on the road while being fully aware of his dad tossing him concerned looks. He wished he would stop. He was trying hard to maintain some confidence that he could role-play as him

Soon enough the gates of the prison came into view, and Carl felt his stomach drop. He glanced over at his dad and saw him staring at the prison with an obvious nervous expression. Carl turned away just as he saw the majority of the group coming up to the gate to open it and greet them. Carl couldn't help releasing a shaky breath.

"You're gonna be fine," Rick told him. Carl came to a stop as he waited for Carol and Beth to open the gate. "Hey."

He turned and looked at his dad. He hated how scared he was starting to feel and wondered if he should take his advice on letting Hershel lead.

"You can do this," Rick continued.

"Yeah…it's just…just…what do I say," he asked, feeling pretty frantic as he slowly drove into the compound.

"How about hello?"

Carl turned to him with an annoyed expression from hearing some levity in his words.

"I could use some good advice here," he whispered, feeling somehow the others would hear him if he spoke louder.

"Just do what comes natural. I'll try to do much of the talking when I can. You'll be okay."

Carl found himself lost in looking at his dad that he was startled when Daryl came over and rapped on the window. Carl, still feeling extremely nervous, opened the door and stepped out, while his dad did the same.

"Been gone a while," Daryl noted. "Thought you two might've gotten eaten."

Carl gave a slight drop of the head as he proceeded to imitate his dad.

"Yeah well, ran into a little incident with another car."

"You were attacked?" Carol asked, concerned.

"No, just a near run-in on the road. We're fine though." Carl looked over at his dad who he saw was watching him intently before Michonne came up to him.

Carol opened the backdoor to fetch the few supplies they could find while Daryl headed to the trunk. Carl popped it open for him and started helping him remove a few boxes of canned food.

"Had any run-ins with walkers?" Daryl asked.

"Just one," Carl said as he thought about the dead walker he had seen near the car. He briefly wondered how different it would be when he had to take on one in his dad's body.

Daryl gave a nod and followed behind Carol who was heading inside.

"Looks like you guys found a lot," Glenn commented as he walked up to him and gave him a pat on the back.

"Yeah, we got lucky. Should keep us going for a few weeks."

Glenn turned and headed inside with Maggie by his side, followed by Michonne, leaving Carl alone with his dad.

"So far, so good," said Rick as he walked up to him.

"So far, easy questions." Carl dropped his voice as he continued. "You really think we can pull this off?"

But Rick's attention had turned to the prison's entrance where he saw Michonne waiting for them.

"I think we'd better, least we get exiled for being insane. Come on, dad."

Carl followed behind him. When he reached the entrance where Michonne was waiting, she gave him a concerned look.

"Are you sure everything went okay?"

Carl felt, from the way she was looking at him, he had somehow been caught. He tried to keep his expression normal, but it had dropped at the question. He looked over at his dad who had stopped in his tracks to watch and possibly intervene.

"Yeah, yeah…everything, went good."

When Michonne didn't look convinced, Rick spoke up.

"He was just a little shaken by the near accident on the road. He and my wi,..uh mom were in one once."

Carl looked at his dad who simply gave him a 'just follow my lead' kind of look. Carl looked back at Michonne who had a curious frown on her face as she looked at his dad. She turned back to him.

"Okay, just as long as you're okay."

"I'm okay," Carl answered tiredly.

She nodded and quietly walked away from them. Carl looked at his dad and gave a slight shake of his head.

"But we're not okay."

"No," Rick agreed. "Come on, let's go put these things away."

Once again Rick led the way to the storage for their supplies. Carl didn't have to worry about answering tough questions. He avoided it by making the excuse that he was tired and he just wanted to rest.

So he traveled to his dad's cell and immediately laid down upon it on his back with an arm thrown over his face.

After a while, Rick approached him. Carl looked up, sensing his presence.

"Are we alone?" he asked. Rick nodded, but said nothing else. "What's wrong? Other than, you know."

Rick briefly dropped his head in thought.

"I was thinking, and hoping we'll go back to normal if we fall asleep. Everything resetting like it's supposed to."

"I hope so," Carl said with a sigh. Rick started to walk away, but Carl stopped him. "Hey, there's nothing going on tomorrow that I should know about, case we, don't switch back."

Rick shrugged.

"Just a normal day, for the others anyways."

"I want it to be normal for us."

"Me too son."

Rick walked away, leaving Carl to hide his face behind his arm. He headed up the stairway where he saw Beth rocking his daughter in her arms. Rick paused at the top and just watched them.

"Oh hey, glad everything went okay," Beth said when she noticed him standing there.

For a minute he just stared at Judith before nodding.

"Everything alright?"

"Y-yeah. I'll take Judith for a while."

"It's alright I got her. Your dad looked pretty tired so-"

"Beth," Rick interrupted, a little more sternly than he intended. "I want to. I need to."

Beth looked taken aback by his sudden insistence and serious expression. Catching this, Rick softened his expression.

"Please."

Beth looked down at Judith then quietly handed her over. Rick took her, then turned and headed back down the stairs.

After glancing up to make sure she was out of earshot, he looked at Judith who was watching him.

"Hey…it's me, dad," he whispered. "I know I look different, but it's me."

When he made it all the way down, he headed for the cell right next to Carl's. For a minute, he couldn't help staring at the snoozing figure of his son as he wondered how he was supposed to play as a parent to his own sister. He knew he could pull it off before the others, but it scared him to think they may be stuck in each other's bodies for so long that he'd never have the chance to truly be Judith's father again.

He settled in the cot and held her close as tears surfaced in the corners of his eyes.

"Could've been worse," he said quietly. "But I'm still here. Carl's here. He might have to be a father to you, for as long as this last, but I'm still right here."

He held her close as he felt a release of some of the pressure and fear. Her little hands waved about slightly before they reached out to his cheek. Rick took her hand and thought of Lori. He wondered how she would have reacted to the switch.

Rick moved further into the cot, leaning his back against the pillows as he prayed things would go back to normal the next day, for his children's sakes.

 **I imagine it'll be kind of evened out possibly when switching the point-of-views between Rick and Carl. I do favor writing from Rick's perspective in Carl's body, but I know I also need to explore what's happening with Carl. Their reunion with the group went simple enough, but will it stay simple as I doubt Rick's going to get his wish that they un-switch.**

 **More to come so keep enjoying**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own the walking dead**

 **We last left off with Rick and Carl turning in for the day. Rick thought maybe they'd go back to normal by morning.**

Chapter 5: "…acting like each other."

When Rick opened his eyes the next morning, he didn't move. The first thing he saw was the bottom of the cot above him, and he hoped once he rose he would see his own body, not his son's. Slowly and fearfully, he turned his head and raised his hand.

"Damn," he cursed in Carl's voice. Sleep hadn't switched them back.

"You shouldn't swear."

He turned to see Beth standing just outside his cell holding his daughter who was looking back at him. He wondered and hoped that Judith could see past the face of her brother and see him as her father. Rick dropped his head to hide his expression of disappointment.

"Yeah…uh, where's Ca, dad…is he up?"

"He's out in the field."

At this Rick raised a brow curiously.

"What's he doing out there?"

It was Beth's turn to give him a curious look.

"He's tending to the crops."

Rick gave a nod and turned away. It had become his recent job; to be farmer Grimes. He knew Carl hadn't exactly taken to such a chore, but he was pleased he wasn't doing any of his other more dangerous jobs like going on runs or trying to clear out walkers. He didn't feel comfortable with the idea of him having to do such things without him.

"Alright," Rick said as he got to his feet.

"You hungry?" Beth asked.

Rick shook his head as he walked up and ran a hand lovingly behind Judith's head. When he looked up and caught Beth's slightly questioning look, he turned and walked away, straightening his sheriff hat as he moved. He shut his eyes briefly as he tried to focus on who he needed to be. He had to act more like Carl and less like himself.

Despite not being hungry, he stepped into the lunch area where Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Michonne, and a couple of the new recruits from Woodbury were seated having breakfast. He noticed Michonne frowning at him, and quickly enough she had gotten to her feet to approach him.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah I'm, fine. Just, heading out to see d-dad." He still wasn't quite used to referring to Carl as dad.

"Have something to eat first."

To be honest, Rick was starting to feel hungry, but he was wary of eating. Mostly it was because he was anxious to talk with Carl and set some sort of plan about their new roles since the switch so far didn't appear to be temporary.

"Well…"

He allowed her to steer him over to where she was sitting with Glenn and Maggie, then she moved over to their makeshift stove to prepare him a bowl of oatmeal.

Rick found he didn't quite know what to do with himself as he sat with them.

"Thankfully you guys won't have to do any more runs for a while," said Maggie with a soft smile.

"Why not?" Rick asked just as Michonne set a bowl down before him. "Me and dad can go back out there."

"It won't be worth the risk if you get hurt."

"I'm not afraid to go out there," he said, suddenly feeling a bit heated at her mother hen like behavior.

"It's not about being afraid, just being careful," said Maggie.

"You'll make an awesome mother someday," Glenn said to Maggie who smiled.

"I'm not trying to be the over-protective mom here."

Carl looked away from them as they settled into a more private conversation. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of Maggie or anyone else trying to subtly baby him, though he knew they meant well. It made him wonder how often they did it to Carl and if he would have to put up with more instances of it, but it wasn't a bit deal. He understood Maggie's concern. He himself still worried about Carl's safety though he knew he was capable.

He picked up the spoon and slowly dipped it into the cereal. Slowly he took a bite. There was nothing different or unusual about it, except that he was using Carl's mouth to eat. After a while he put such a thought out of his head and just ate.

Somewhere towards the end, Patrick came up to him.

"Hey, are you going to story time later?"

Rick just looked at him. He had always known Carl to skip such a thing, claiming he was too old for it, so why would Patrick ask him about it?

"Uh, I don't think so."

"Why? Got something better to do?"

Rick raised a brow at him but turned his attention to his bowl.

"I'm helping my dad in the field."

"Oh. Well, maybe we can hang out later."

Rick looked at him now, and saw his disappointment. Ever since he'd come to the prison, he had caught glimpses of Patrick trying to merge himself better into their little community. He had definitely caught moments where he tried to befriend Carl, but was rejected. Carl unfortunately was in the period of his time where he wanted to be on his own. Rick thought it was a shame and did feel sorry for Patrick who had quickly become an outsider among the kids present. Deciding he could possibly tweak that, he gave an un-Carl like response.

"Sure, we can hang out later."

Patrick appeared taken aback by this, and tried to hide a grateful smile.

"Oh, okay, cool. I'll…I'll see you later, and we can do whatever you want."

Rick just gave a nod and Patrick, smiling, walked away.

"Well that's a first," said Michonne.

"What?" Rick asked.

"Since when do you hang out with Patrick?" asked Glenn. "I mean it's cool and all. But you never seemed to want anything to do with him before."

Rick just shrugged as he finished the last of his cereal.

"Thought it might be a nice change."

After that, he stood up and made his way outside to find the real Carl.

He crossed out into the field he and Hershel had established for crops and found Hershel there himself, talking with Carl who was digging. He paused and sighed at the scene. He could only imagine how tough it would be for him to take the lead. He never imagined he would ever have to do it, but it was happening now.

He made his way over to them while trying to come up with a way to get Hershel to leave so he could chat privately with his son.

"Good morning," Hershel greeted.

Rick gave a nod.

"Morning," he answered as Carl turned to face him. Rick could tell he had been working hard out here.

"Just telling your dad it's probably time for a break, but he's determined," said Hershel with humor in his tone.

"Yeah he can be stubborn," Rick added. In response, Carl quirked his brow.

"Wonder where I get it from," he said slyly.

Hershel gave a light chuckle while Rick reached for a shovel to help. He positioned himself in front of Carl and kept trying to catch his eye so that he could get the hint that he needed to talk, but Carl seemed determined to keep his head down and not look at him.

"Dad," Rick said after a moment. He got the hint and looked around at Hershel.

"You mind giving us a minute alone?"

"Sure thing," said Hershel as he patted his shoulder and hobbled away. Once he was out of earshot, Carl stopped digging and turned to his dad.

"Didn't realize you were into farming."

"Keeps my mind off of what's happening," Carl replied bitterly.

"Yeah well, I guess this switch is gonna last a little longer than we hoped," Rick stated.

"Really," Carl said sarcastically. "And here I thought my voice had changed and I grew several inches."

Rich shook his head.

"This is serious. Now, I'm guessing you decided not to hand over the group to Hershel."

"I can take charge." Rick admired the confidence in his voice, but he still wasn't terribly fond of the idea of Carl making decisions. "You can't treat me like a kid forever you know."

"Well I definitely can't now, but I'm still your father, and that means if you have a serious matter to deal with, I want you to run it past me. We'll talk."

"Don't you think it'll be a little weird for Rick Grimes to go to his own son for advice?" Carl countered. "I can do this. We don't want to raise suspicion."

Carl turned away and started digging again.

"We'll do it carefully," Rick explained. "Make excuses. You can easily get in over your head when things get tough. It's not as easy as it seems, so promise me."

Carl paused and sighed.

"I promise."

"Good." Rick started digging again, but then he stopped as he thought of Judith. "As for your sister, well, she's expecting a father. I'll do it when I can, but in front of the others…"

"Dad, I get it," Carl said gently, and Rick knew he had been thinking of his new role to Judith as well. "It's not like I haven't taken care of her before."

"Okay."

They returned to digging up the weeds, falling into a moment of silence for a bit.

"You don't have any runs," Rick suddenly said. "So you should be alright for now."

"I'm farmer Grimes for the day. What about you, what are you doing?"

Rick shrugged.

"Patrick asked if I was going to story time."

At this Carl stopped and frowned at him.

"I hope you told him you're not going. I don't go to those things, they're for kids."

"Carl, you are a kid." Rick shifted his feet and dropped his eyes. "I told him, I wasn't thinking about going."

"Good."

"I did tell him I'd hang out with him later." Carl dropped the shovel in annoyance at this reveal. "What?"

"Come on dad, I don't do that either."

"Well maybe you should have, to keep him from feeling like an outsider."

"I thought we were supposed to be acting like each other."

"We are," Rick confirmed. "I don't intend to stand up on a soap box and preach to the group like I usually do, but I don't see anything wrong with something like hanging out with the kid. Personally I think you could use the friendship with another kid, instead of obsessing over adult matters."

"Well adult matters are what I have to handle now," Carl said quietly.

"Just remember what I said about not getting in over your head, or taking advantage of the fact that you're in my body. Okay? Okay Carl?"

"Fine, I won't."

Rick gave a nod and focused on helping him in the field. After a minute Carl smirked, catching his dad's attention.

"Have fun hanging out with Patrick."

Rick could tell Carl didn't mean it to come across as positive. Now he wondered if he made the right decision in agreeing to hang with him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rick asked, but Carl kept the joke to himself.

Unbeknownst to both Rick and Carl, Michonne was standing a good distance away behind the gate watching them curiously. She hadn't been close enough to hear the conversation, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something odd was going on between the two, despite the fact that they both claimed to be fine after the run.

 **Sorry the update took a while. I guess I started to feel the interest in this story was dropping so I briefly left it alone as I do have other works in progress that need attention. Knowing you guys are reading helps.**

 **So, Rick's kind of accepted they aren't going back to normal anytime soon and plans to play as Carl, by hanging with Patrick. It's been a while since I saw the past season of 'TWD' where Patrick was among them, but I've kind of pictured him as the nerd character. Meanwhile Michonne is worried.**

 **I'll update soon.**


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